COMPLETED PROJECTS - IMPERIAL COLLEGE
In 1997, CP Sound completed a major sound and lighting installation/refurbishment project at Imperial College, one of London's most historically significant seats of knowledge.
CP Sound's association with Imperial Students Union dates back to the early 90's when they installed a sound system in the main student union venue. Business has steadily increased over the years and the college have returned to CP Sound for equipment, expertise and advice.
For more than a decade CP Sound have
provided Sound and Lighting solutions for Imperial College, one of London's
most historical seats of knowledge. Completing a major installation projects
5 years ago and recently in the expansion and refurbishment at the main entertainment
venues.
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Six very loud CP Sound bass bins resided at the college since the company's first involvement with the venue. This was followed by an interim mid-top refit to keep the sound system up with the changing musical trends of the nineties. To revamp the Students Union facility completely for the end of the century, CP Sound then undertook a total renovation of the sound system, together with installation of a fine and funky new lighting system to cater for both stage and dance floor. |
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The venue - christened dB's and situated in a beautiful and austere building, originally constructed in 1911 - had a capacity of 250 at this time and was is used for live acts, discos and, during the day, food consumption. It hosted three regular evenings of entertainment per week - two pumping club nights and a cabaret style event.
The primary challenge for CP Sound from an installation aspect, lay in shoe-horning the quantity of gear required - to satisfy the aural and optical sensation-hungry students of the late nineties - into the confines of the space.
The sound spec consisted of a Formula Sound PM90 mixer with Formula Sound AVC 2 limiter, C Audio amps, CP Sound 115 bass bins, a new RSE amp driving an outrageously loud CP Sound DJ monitor, plus a Formula Sound 'Guardian'. The latter was linked to the alarm system, cutting the sound whilst leaving a mic open for public announcements.
For Imperial Students Union's Entertainments and Marketing Manager Mark Horne, the main priorities were meeting of the Health and Safety regulations for securing their Public Entertainments License as well as the transformation of the previously dingy school common room atmosphere into a throbbing, energetic night-spot.
The DJ box is now a tall tube-like construction with amp racks expediently tucked away underneath to save space. There is just about room for a DJ of average build to squeeze in! CP Sound also supplied a live PA desk which connects to the mixer allowing up to eight channels to be mixed from the DJ box.
Lighting originally consisted of two High End Trackspots, ideal because of their flexibility, light weight and compact dimensions. These were later joined by two more and, on this refit, two MADScans, two MADStars and nine Light Processor dimmer packs.
The intelligent fixtures were mounted
on two new Penn Fabrications semi-circular trusses, rigged back-to-back in the
roof. This provided an interesting and off-beat shape to the rig design, giving
it considerably more depth than existed in reality.
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dB's
featured a dance floor area and a small stage for live acts. The latter
was also enhanced with more Par 64 and 56's in this refit, and the requirement
was for the moving lights to be rigged so they could illuminate the dance-floor
without having to be relocated.
The lighting is controlled by a Pulsar Masterpiece that was completely reprogrammed with exciting new sequences and environments by CP Sound. |
Mark Horne comments, "Working with CP Sound is excellent. They provide exactly the right gear for the job, within the budget, and pay an enormous amount of attention to detail in programming lighting and tuning and setting up the sound system. The after-sales service has also been superb."
CP Sound played a crucial role in audio and lighting installation for the most recent expansion and refurbishment of dB's, the main entertainment venue at Imperial College Student Union in Kensington, London.
CP Sound has enjoyed a long and fruitful working relationship with Imperial College, stretching back to when the first system was installed 12 years ago.
The curvaceous,
high-tech designed venue now has an increased room capacity of 700 - making
it the largest student venue in central London. The stage has been moved
90 degrees and lengthened. dB's now has it's own bar and toilets, enabling
it to open independently of any other part of the student union building
in which it residesLoudness |
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| All existing lighting & sound equipment was ripped out of the venue, cleaned, re-tuned and refitted in the new reoriented format. New audio equipment includes four additional RSE CC1500's bass amps and two CP Sound custom designed bass bins. These are loaded with 600W Beyma 15" drivers giving dB's a new total of eight CP Sound bass at a massive 4.8 K of bass. This was necessary because, despite the room expansion, Imperial required the same pumping bass levels at the same SPL. The eclectic entertainment programme features a myriad of events which will tax the sound system to the max. The top cabinets have also been increased to six. The old ones have been replaced by CP Sound custom designed and constructed models, based on the originals but streamlined for performance. dB's top end is driven from the original bass amp and mid range amp - both C-Audio - giving a total of 2.4 kW of top end. So the entire system is now a kicking 7.2 kW. |
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CP Sound also fitted a Formula Sound Sentry noise limiter to the existing AVC2 and CX 4 limiters. The Sentry oversees live music on stage - it controls power to the 13A ring main sockets at the rear of the stage and at the PA mixer position, next to the newly installed sub-floor 32 way multicore. It cuts in when bands top exceedingly high volumes. The AVC2 is designed to prevent the disco sound system being overdriven, and the CX4 interfaces with the fire alarm in conjunction with the disco system. There's also a Formula Sound PM 90 disco mixer in the DJ booth. |
CP Sound specify Formula Sound equipment because it has a proven track record for being robust and reliable.
Additional lighting fixtures include two High End Systems Technobeams which join the HES Trackspots from the previous installation. Eight colour changing luminaires are also new. These are controlled from a Pulsar Masterpiece 108 to which CP Sound have added a Replay Unit and two Pulsar Status Outstations which work together. The semi-circular trussing, which matches the gently curved contours of the room, was moved by CP Sound to the new stage position.
Russell Evans managed the installation for CP Sound, working with Imperial's Entertainment and Marketing Manager Mark Horne. "The project was coordinated by architect Mary Marsh from the Imperial's Estate Design Office. Mark Horne comments, "Working with CP Sound is excellent. They provide exactly the right gear for the job, within the budget, and pay an enormous amount of attention to detail in programming lighting and tuning and setting up the sound system. The after-sales service has also been superb.
